PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 26, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Reed Smith LLP partner Leonard A. Bernstein has accepted an appointment to join Big Brothers Big Sisters of America's Board of Directors. Bernstein first became a big brother in 1983 while he was a Temple University Law student. Seventeen years later, he served as the national mentoring organization's Acting General Counsel and since 2010, his firm, Reed Smith LLP, has provided years of pro bono legal services to Big Brothers Big Sisters of America and its local agencies.

"Len's appointment to our Board is a testament to his continued commitment to our mission to provide children facing adversity with strong and enduring one-to-one life-changing mentoring relationships," said Big Brothers Big Sisters of America President and Chief Executive T. Charles Pierson. "Independent research finds youth in our program are beating the odds. Having Len on the board will help us serve the growing numbers of parents who seek our support to help their children achieve success in school and in life."

Bernstein was the former Board President of the Support Center for Child Advocates, a legal pro bono organization that represents kids that are victims of abuse, neglect or abandonment. He is a member of Reed Smith's Financial Industry Group and founded and chairs the Financial Services Regulatory (FSR) Group which addresses credit card, auto finance, deposit, residential mortgage and other retail finance products. Bernstein concentrates his practice in the representation of banks, thrifts, mortgage bankers and finance companies in providing consumer credit compliance advice on federal, Pennsylvania and New Jersey laws and regulations. The FSR Group addresses credit card, auto finance, deposit, residential mortgage and other retail finance products.

Bernstein is nationally known for expertise with the federal Truth-in-Lending Act, Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act and similar laws, and works regularly with federal and state financial services regulators. He and his colleagues also defend class actions and individual claims filed against financial services providers.

Bernstein is active with the firm's Financial Services Litigation defense group and has been elected to the American College of Consumer Financial Services Attorneys. He received his J.D. from the Temple University Beasley School of Law and B.A. and B.S. degrees from the University of Pennsylvania.

About Big Brothers Big SistersBig Brothers Big Sisters, the nation's largest donor and volunteer supported mentoring network, holds itself accountable for children in its program to achieve measurable outcomes, such as educational success; avoidance of risky behaviors; and higher aspirations, greater confidence and better relationships. Partnering with parents/guardians, schools, corporations and others in the community, Big Brothers Big Sisters carefully pairs children ("Littles") with screened volunteer mentors ("Bigs") and monitors and supports these one-to-one mentoring matches throughout their course. The first-ever Big Brothers Big Sisters Youth Outcomes Summary, released in 2012, substantiates that its mentoring programs have proven, positive academic, socio-emotional and behavioral outcomes for youth, areas linked to high school graduation, avoidance of juvenile delinquency and college or job readiness.

Big Brothers Big Sisters provides children facing adversity, often those of single or low-income households or families where a parent is incarcerated or serving in the military, with strong and enduring, professionally supported one-to-one mentoring relationships that change their lives for the better, forever. This mission has been the cornerstone of the organization's 100-year history. With about 350 agencies across the country, Big Brothers Big Sisters serves nearly 630,000 children, volunteers and families. Learn how you can positively impact a child's life, donate or volunteer at BigBrothersBigSisters.org or LatinoBigs.org.